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Acherius Erinyes
Known to many as The Vulture, Acherius Erinyes is the leader of the all-Night Lord Raptor Cult known as the Hell-Screamers, and is perhaps the prime personification of what it is to be a Chaos Raptor. Selfish, sadistic, egotistical, and generally considering himself everyone's better, Erinyes and his fellow Raptors stalk the fringes of the galaxy, selling their services to any Chaos Warlord who might give them the opportunity to sate their bloodlust in battle. History Nostramo Like many Night Lords, Erinyes grew up on the blood-stained streets of Nostramo, fighting every day just to survive. Yet strangely, while many died or where transformed into psychopathic killers, Erinyes found a way to thrive despite all the odds. He did through a very simple method, playing to all sides; he would join one murderous gang, only to feed their rivals information about their strengths and weaknesses. When the two factions inevitably came to blows, Erinyes would spread rumors throughout both sides to fan the flames of their conflict, and so the two gangs would eventually destroy each other. When all was said and done, only scattered criminals remained of the two factions, and thus Erinyes would assume a position of leadership, crafting a new faction of ruthless criminals from the remnants of the old ones. By the time he turned thirteen, Acherius Erinyes had become a full-fleged gang leader, renowned for his guile and cunning. Then the Night Haunter came, and tore down everything that Erinyes had built. With weeks his mighty syndicate (or at least he thought of it as a mighty sydicate) had been reduced to a pile of corpses, Erinyes only escaping the slaughter by going into hiding and ceasing all of his criminal activity. A wise choice, it seemed, for Konrad Kurze had more dangerous foes than a pre-pubecent child to worry about, and thus Erinyes fell from his notice. However, despite the fact that the Night Haunter had ruined all his hard work over the years, Erinyes never blamed him for it. In fact, he largely admired him, seeing him as a sort of twisted role model for his future endeavors. Those endeavors never came, as by his fourteenth birthday, Nostramo had fallen under Imperial compliance with the coming of the Emperor of Mankind. Three days later, Erinyes was taken from his homeworld by the newly formed Night Lords Legion as a recruit. Amongst the Night Lords While loyal to his Legion, Erinyes did not exactly make a exemplary Space Marine. Rather, he was cunning, sadistic, and extremely ambitious, a dangerous combination, but one that did allow him to rise quickly through the ranks and become a full Space Marine much faster than anyone else had anticipated. Having established himself as a dangerous cutthroat, Erinyes was posted as a member of the 35th Night Raptors Squad within the Night Lords' 13th Talon. As a Night Raptor, Erinyes found himself amongst like-minded individuals, and even becoming Huntmaster of his squad after the unfortunate demise of his former commander on the Industrial World of Siren Primus (although there were rumors that Erinyes orchestrated his death). Fighting alongside his fellow Night Lords at the forefront of many notable campaigns, Erinyes eventually became known as The Vulture, due to his tendency for picking off the survivors of any of his squad's assaults one by one. It was Erinyes' ambition to become a member of the Kyroperta, the inner circle of the Night Lords, as to become a confidant of Konrad Curze himself. Thus he frequently went out of his way to display his worthiness, usually through larger and bloodier acts of violence against the Night Lords' enemies, yet the recognition that he thought he deserved never came. Yet again, Erinyes did not blame his genefather, instead blaming his fellow Night Lords for stealing his glory. Thus did he vow to become the greatest and most powerful of their number, as to outshine his "rivals" and claim the honor and praise he believed were due to him. However, this vow only served to inflate his already enormous ego. Turning Traitor When the Night Lords did join the corrupt Warmaster Horus in his revolt against the Imperium, Erinyes did not question his Primarch's judgement, putting the loyalist Legions to the sword at the Drop Site Massacre and the Battle of Terra. Like the rest of the Night Lords after Horus' death, Erinyes and his Night Raptors, who had long since become known as the Hell-Screamers during the Horus Heresy, spread terror throughout the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy. Their momentum was only stopped when the news came that Konrad Kurze, the Night Lords' beloved progenitor, had been killed. Erinyes was shocked by this revelation, for he had always considered the Night Haunter to be beyond the grasp of death, for He was death itself. With this news Erinyes swore bloody vengeance against the one who killed his genefather, only to have that vengeance denied when Kurze's killer, the Callidus Assassin M'Shen, was killed by former Night Lord Apothecary Talos Valcoran. That single act was what finally drove Erinyes away from the Night Lords, for in his eyes, Talos being the one to avenge Kurze's death was the ultimate insult. It should have been him, the most ardent of the genefather's children, that returned to the Legion carrying M'Shen's skull in one hand and a bloodied blade in the other. His ego simply couldn't stand the "humiliation", and thus he and his Hell-Screamers planned to depart from the bulk of the Traitor Legion, but not before they had bolstered their numbers. Erinyes contacted the leaders of two other Night Raptor Squads, the Night Blades and the Daemon-Reapers, requesting that they meet with him to discuss "plans for the future". Chosing to meet aboard the Strike Cruiser Avenging Shadow, the Raptors gathered on the bridge of the ship, yet Erinyes and his Hell-Screamers were nowhere to be seen. Sensing deception was afoot, Therak "The Flayer", Huntmaster of the Night Blades, turned to his Raptors... and facefirst into a blast of plasma that punched a hole clean through the Night Lord's skull. Erinyes emerged from the shadows behind the two groups, the barrel of his Daemonic Plasma Pistol still venting heat, and proclaimed that a change of management was in order, he was taking control of both Raptor Squads. Syveris Jokoth, Huntmaster of the Daemon-Reapers, bristled at this proclamation, and demanded that his Raptors kill Erinyes. In his rage, he never saw his lieutenant Kyber Rann impale him from behind with his Lightning Claw. Erinyes had bought Rann off with the promise of a high position within the Hell-Screamers. The rest of the Raptors, seeing how easily Erinyes had dealt with their respective Huntmasters, pledged their allegiance to The Vulture. With more than 30 Raptors under his command, Acherius Erinyes set off from the Eastern Fringe aboard the Avenging Shadow, his newly-formed Raptor Cult in tow. Early Exploits Erinyes' Hell-Screamers quickly established themselves as mercenaries, fighting for whomever paid them enough in return. This didn't earn them many friends, particularly due to their tendency to outright abandon the forces that had hired them if another force offered them a better deal. But, while they were generally despised, none could deny that the Hell-Screamers made an effective strike force, and with the turmoil wrought during Great Scouring, their services were in high demand. Their first major venture started within the Eye of Terror of all places, during the Slave Wars. Erinyes was hired by none other than the soon-to-be-Warmaster himself, Abaddon, to fight against the Emperor's Children that had stolen Warmaster Horus' body. Erinyes was more than happy to lend his services, mostly because he despised Slaaneshi worshipers, and thus the Hell-Screamers fought alongside the then-Sons of Horus during the bloody conflict. They were also present for when the Sons of Horus re-created themselves into the Black Legion, in which Erinyes and his Raptors collected their payment (mostly gene-stock taken from fallen Sons of Horus), and slipped away. The Hell-Screamers second major exploit would come much later. On behalf of the Dark Mechanicus, the Hell-Screamers raided the Forge World of Argonar to retrieve a potent STC Tenplate from the hands of the Adeptus Mechanicus. In order to pierce the Forge Worlds defenses, the Raptors where provided with a specialized device known as a "Code Killer", which overloaded every single Mechanicus device it came into proximity to with a constant feed of junk data. As a result, the Hell-Screamers breezed past Argonar's defenses, recovering the STC as promised and delivering it into the Dark Mechanicus' hands. In return, the Hell-Screamers received powerful weaponry and wargear, Erinyes himself receiving his infamous Hellshriek Helm from their corrupted forges. The Vulture and The Man-Eater One of Erinyes' most notable exploits was in fact a joint venture alongside his fellow Night Lord, Osiris Morvante, better known as Osiris the Man-Eater. After some brief negotiations, the Man-Eater hired Erinyes' Hell-Screamers to bolster his Warband's forces in a savage attack against the unsuspecting Civilized World of Valiance Secundus. At first, Erinyes questioned the Man-Eater's motives, as Valiance Secundus was a prosperous world, but one with little strategic value or important resources. But then again, Acherius reasoned, since when did Osiris ever need a reason to cause a bloodbath? And a bloodbath it was, one of epic proportions. The two Night Lords' combined forces ripped through the PDF's feeble attempts to repel them and rampaged through the elegant Hives of Valiance, killing and burning, looting and pillaging. Erinyes and his Raptors swooped through the smoke-filled skies, slaughtering the terrified citizens of Valiance Secundus in droves, earning their name as they shrieked their murder-lust to the skies above. Meanwhile, Osiris and his warband fought in the streets, killing Adeptus Arbites, PDF conscripts and terrified civilians as they murdered their way through blood-soaked thoroughfares. The Valiancians' resistance, pitiful as it was, was finally put to an end when the Hell-Screamers stormed the Planetary Governor's Palace and slaughtered the Governer, his wife, and his two adolescent sons, impaling their mutilated bodies upon the Palace's ornate spires for all to see. Only after the Night Lords had finished their blood work was Osiris' true intent revealed; the entire assault on Valiance had been little more than bait to draw out even greater prey, the Living Saint Eira. Decades before, Eira had been martyred and resurrected on Valiance's very soil, and thus the planet had become forevermore under her protection, as well as the protection of her Adeptus Sororitas order, the Order of the White Valkyrie. When the Sister of Battle heard of the planet's plight, they quickly mobilized, only to arrive to see their once beautiful world ruined through the malice of the Night Lords. And thus the trap was sprung. The Night Lord vessels Avenging Shadow and Starless Dusk ambushed the White Valkyrie vessel in orbit of Valiance Secundus, causing the ship to crash land into the planet's surface. Those Sister of Battle that manged to escape from the burning wreck in time, Saint Eira included, were then beset upon by the Hell-Screamers, forcing the Sororitas out into the open, where the true assault began. The Man-Eater and his Warband attacked in full force just when they were at their weakest, Osiris personally engaging Saint Eira in combat. Battered and bloodied, the remaining White Valkyries stood little chance against the forces of both the Vulture and the Man-Eater. They were slaughtered down to the last woman, Eira included, her body crucified upon a broken Aquilla Column to add to the humiliation of their defeat. The Hell-Screamers received their payment in full for their contribution; half the spoils torn from the now-ruined Valiancian Hives, and as a special bonus, Osiris gave over Eira's crucified body to Erinyes, as a sign of good will between the two Warbands. To this day, the Saint's corpse still decorates Erinyes' personal quarters as the foremost of his trophies, kept frozen in a single moment of time in an archaic stasis field, so that the Vulture might look upon her freshly mutilated body and relive the day he brought down entire an entire Order of the Emperor's most faithful. To Make a God In late M.40, Erinyes and his Hell-Screamers were approached by the Chaos Lord Cain, leader of the piratical Warband known as the Brethren of Spite. The Lord of the Brethren had need of an infiltrator force to serve as a vanguard to his forces in their assault of the Shrine World Perta, and promised not only half the spoils from their combined conquest, but rare artifacts from the Brethren's plunder-vaults as payment. At first, the proud Acherius chafed at the idea of fighting alongside such a "third-rate" band of renegades, but the spoils offered were to enticing to resist, and his Raptor Cult was in need of fresh supplies as it was. Gritting his teeth, Erinyes grudgingly agreed to the Brethren's terms. Taking an uncharacteristically stealthy approach, the Hell-Screamers infiltrated Perta by cover of night and set about their bloody business. At first it started out as little more than a minor headache for the Pertan Arbites; a disappearance here, a defiled corpse there, but that was only a taste of what was to come. Soon after, entire families were found hung from lampposts, skinned corpses were arrayed into blasphemous symbols in plazas all across the planet, and soon the Hell-Screamers revealed themselves to the already traumatized Pertans. Swooping down on weakened settlements and shrine, the Raptors butchered and slaughtered their way through entire cities at a time, killing thousands before vanishing into the night as swiftly as they came. By the time the Petan PDF and Sisters of Battle had been deployed, it was already too late. The Night Lords' campaign of terror might have seemed indiscriminate, but in reality the massacres were to cover the planting of ground-to-orbit homing beacons in key strategic locations across the Shrine World. Once the final beacon was set, the Brethren of Spite fleet emerged over the doomed planet, conducting precision bombardments via homing beacon that utterly destroyed defensive fortifications and orbital defenses alike. Other beacons served as teleportation locators, allowing the Brethren's forces to teleport directly on to the planets surface to join the Hell-Screamers in battle. But worst of all any vessels that tried to escape Perta were cut down by the Brethren of Spite's blockade, and thus all were doomed to die at the hands of the Chaos Space Marines as they ravaged the beleaguered planet, enacting a bloody slaughter of the planets outgunned defenders. But, Cain's ambitions did not stop there, for he wished to visit a much darker fate upon the Shrine World and his inhabitants. While the Hell-Screamer Raptors and Brethren Raiders savaged the planet, masses of slaves and psykers constructed towering icons of dark worship and gargantuan soul furnaces amidst the ruins of the Pertan cities. These unholy structures served one purpose, to focus the corrupting energy of the warp, so that Perta might be transformed into a hellish Daemon World; a world that Cain might make into his stronghold. Already the warp was beginning to pour forth onto Perta, legions of daemons materializing to aid the Chaos Marines in their conquests. Amdist the ruin, there was only one last point of hope; the Pertan capital. The mighty shrine-city stood as a beacon of hope, where PDF, Arbites, Sororitas and Civilian alike gathered to make a final stand against the Forces of the Archenemy. That last stand was a short one; the Hell-Screamers attacked from on high, the Brethren breaching the gates, and the Daemons flooding forth to slaughter and pillage. Even as they fought did reality itself begin to tremble as the Chaos Gods prepared to claim another world. Buildings warped into towering structures of blackened bone and tortured flesh, streets melted into rivers of boiling blood and unearthly warpflame, the very sky breaking apart into a miasma of maddening colors. It seemed that victory was assured, the Brethren of Spite would have their world, and the Hell-Screamers would have their spoils. But, what neither force expected was the intervention of the Emperor's Grey Knights. Having long beforehand sensed the tremors running through the Immaterium through birth of this new Daemon World, the Grey Knights assembled a small strike force to stop Cain plans from becoming a reality. Teleporting directly into the capital's war-torn streets, the 666th Chapter tore their way through the Brethren's lines, striking directly at Cain as he breached the gates of the Pertan Grand Cathedral. Doubtless the Grey Knights would have taken the Chaos Lord unawares, if Erinyes, spying the sliver-armored intruders from above, ordered his Raptors to fall upon their flank with the words: The sound of the Raptors battle-screams as they descended on the Loyalists averted Cain's attention just long enough for the Chaos Lord to reorganize his troops into a counter-attack. Engaging the Grey Knight Brother-Captain in a heated one-one-one duel, Cain fought alongside Erinyes as the two Chaos forces converged on the Daemonhunting Asartes. While numbering only fifty Battle-Brothers strong, the Grey Knights put up a terrific fight, until Cain defeated their Brother-Captain by breaking his neck with his bare hands. With their leader's death, the Grey Knights were forced into a fighting retreat and eventually teleported away, knowing they had failed. With the Grey-Knight's death, the Warp chose to recognize Cain for his actions, by transforming him into a Daemon Prince. Brethren and Hell-Screamer looked on in horrified awe as the Chaos Lord ascended into immortal Daemonhood, his flesh fusing with his armor, his blood transforming into molten metal. One hand grew into a great claw, the other melding with his plasma gun to become a deadly arm-cannon, while leathery bat-like wings sprouted from his back. His eyes now blazing with warpfire, Cain looked down upon his assembled troops, as a being reborn. Then, Erinyes strode up to Cain, seething with rage over the Pirate Lord's "undeserved" ascension, and demanded his payment. Most in Cain position would have struck down the impudent Night Lord then and there, but the newly-birthed Daemon Prince instead gave a booming laugh and assured Erinyes that his reward would be forthcoming. And forthcoming it was, for the Hell-Screamers were more than adequately furnished with new supplies and equipment, as well as several techno-arcane relics as promised. Their holds full and their need of resources sated, the Hell-Screamers and Brethren of Spite parted ways, though the two warbands still keep an eye on one another, just in case another "employment" opportunity comes up. (MORE TO COME) Personality Erinyes was once described as having "the ego of an Emperor's Child and the blood-hunger of a World Eater". This statement perhaps sums up The Vulture's personality entirely, for while he as just as coldhearted and sadistic as any Night Lord, he is also selfish, arrogant, extremely ambitious, and entirely convinced of his own superiority. This overinflated sense of self-importance is the result of his upbringing on Nostramo, where at the tender age of thirteen he singlehandedly managed to become a gang leader (an accomplishment that he will often boast of). His recruitment into the Night Lords only served to increase his already bloated ego, which finally came to a head when Erinyes separated himself from the bulk. While not as self-centered as those amongst the Emperor's Children Traitor Legion, Erinyes' ego is so great that he still refers to himself by his old Legion rank of Huntmaster, and any who meet his gaze can practically feel the contempt radiating from his eyes. Quite simply, Acherius Erinyes believes himself to be better than everyone else. He sees both normal humans and xenos as little more than vermin, for they are no match for a fully-fledged Space Marine. He sees his Legion, the Night Lords, as the greatest of the Space Marine Legions, and his genefather Konrad Kurze to have been the greatest of the Primarchs. He even holds his fellow Chaos Space Marines in contempt, for they are nothing compared to the deadly Raptors. Erinyes will often boast of all his apparent "superiority", although his is mindful to hold his tongue in the presence of more powerful benefactors, while silently he chafes at how they can consider themselves greater than he. Yet despite his arrogance, Erinyes can more than back up any threat that he makes. Cunning and utterly merciless, Erinyes lives up to his namesake by exploiting every weakness he can find, whether on the battlefield or in simple conversation. Concepts like "honor" or even "fair play" are utterly alien to him, and he thinks nothing of committing the worst of atrocities if it benefits him in the end. But if something goes badly, Erinyes will not hesitate to flee at a moments notice, for he sees little value in fighting a battle he cannot win. Some have labeled it cowardice, but Erinyes merely sees it as common sense, one of the reasons he has survived this long. Appearance Standing at over seven feet tall, Erinyes is pale and sallow-skinned, the result of both his upbringing on Notramo and the effects of his Gene-Seed. His head is shaven, and his features are sharp and angular, giving him an almost avian appearance. Erinyes' eyes are little more than a pair of jet-black pits, as is common with Horus Heresy-era Night Lords, and the left side of his face is dominated long scar that runs down his cheek and cheekbone ending at his jawline. Erinyes claims to have recieved that scar during his days as a Nostraman Ganger. Clad in his full battle-plate, Erinyes is an imposing figure. He wears modified Mark VI Corvus-Pattern Power Armor, painted both bone white and the dark blue of the Night Lords. One shoulder plate proudly bears the bat-winged skull of the Night Lords, and Erinyes has decorated the entirety of his armor with numerous spikes, chains, and blasphemous chaos iconography designed to lend his armor further protection. A blood-red loincloth hangs from his waist, and a cloak of the same color hangs from his back, spreading out like a pair of crimson wings whenever Erinyes takes flight. A modified Mark V Heresy-Pattern Jump Pack adorns his back as well, and his legs have been replaced with bionic replicas, complete with feet ending in razor-sharp adimantium talons. These augmetic legs give Erinyes a loping, slightly stooped gait, making him all the more vulture-like in appearance. Abilities and Traits Despite all his bravado, Acherius Erinyes is still a fearsome warrior with centuries of experience under his belt. As a Raptor, Erinyes prefers to attack from above using his Jump Pack, savoring the look of fear in the eyes of those he pounces upon like a bird of prey. He is a formidable opponent in close quarters, fighting with his Lightning Claw in one hand and his Daemonic Plasma Pistol in the other. Any who try to flee his attack are picked off one by one by the Vulture, a gruesome habit that earned Erinyes his namesake. As a Night Lord, Erinyes is a cunning strategist and a competent leader. Like most of his Traitor Legion, The Vulture excels at spreading fear through the ranks of his enemies, although Erinyes prefers a more direct method of sowing terror. This mostly entails coordinated hit-and-run style attacks of such brutality that leaves the enemy dreading another assault, a tactic that has become a trademark of Erinyes' Raptor Cult. However, Erinyes' is mind is a calculating one, and thus he often strikes where the enemy is weakest or least protected. To him, victory is most assured when he is the one holding all the cards. But if the odds are somehow turned against him, Erinyes won't hesitate to flee. Though he grits his teeth every time he must, cursing the upstarts that dared think that they could kill him. Equipment *''Mark VI Corvus-Pattern Power Armor ''- A relic of the Horus Heresy, Erinyes' Power Armor is both easy to repair and extremely flexible, allowing for a full range of motion in combat. However, It has been modified extensively over the years, to the point where it's original model is barely recognizable. *''Mark V Heresy-Pattern Jump Pack ''- Larger yet lighter than the standard Jump Pack, Erinyes uses it often in combat. In battle, it can be used to propel him through the sky in long-range jumps or boost him forward in a single direction, allowing for impressive mobility. *''Hellshriek Helm ''- A custom-made Power Armor helmet crafted by Dark Mechanicus armorsmiths as payment for the raiding of the Forge World Agonar, the Hellshriek Helm is a fiendish-looking helmet equipped with powerful vox-boosters. When activated, the Helm ''can release a supersonic scream so powerful that it can rupture the eardrums of anyone within a ten-foot radius of the wielder. Erinyes uses the ''Hellshriek Helm's power to gain advantage over multiple foes on the battlefield. *''Crusade-Pattern Lightning Claw ''- Gifted to Erinyes after his promotion to the rank of Huntmaster, this deadly weapon is an archaic variant of the modern Lightning Claw designed to be weilded in consert with a ranged weapon held in the other hand. Like most of Erinyes' wargear, this Lightning Claw has been heavily modified, to the point where it can slice through metal, flesh, and bone alike with equal ease, all while not compromising Erinyes' aim in the slightest. *''Alecto (Possessed Plasma Pistol) ''- Perhaps the most deadly weapon in the Vulture's arsenal, Alecto is a daemon-possessed Plasma Pistol acquired by Erinyes during the Horus Heresy. This pistol neither misfires nor overheats, it's ectoplasmic coils glowing a malefic violet color. Whenever it does fire, it's plasma bolts can punch a hole through solid adimantium, and if Erinyes wills it Alecto ''can make no sound while firing. *Avem (Daemonic Familiar) ''- A massive bird with blood-red feathers and eyes of glowing warpflame, Erinyes originally aquired this strange animal while searching through the lower decks of the Avenging Shadow. In a locked vault covered in binding runes, he found the creature in an ornately wrought birdcage of black iron, and to the Vulture's surprise, flew out of it's cage and perched on his shoulder as soon as he unlocked it's prison. Erinyes, intrigued by the prospect of owning such a magnificent-looking animal, named it Avem (after the late Huntmaster Erinyes had once served under). Avem quickly proved that it's value was more than simply aesthetic, and soon the daemon-bird became his constant companion, whether it was ripping out the throats of unsuspecting enemies on the battlefield with it's razor-sharp beak and talons, or shielding his mind from psychic intrusions through some hidden power during tense negotiations with potential "benefactors". Either way, Erinyes treats Avem as a beloved pet, even though the daemon-bird seems to be possessed of a malicious intelligence all it's own... Relations Feel free to add your own! Variel Reeve The Chaos Lord and the Vulture were hardly close friends, mainly due to their rivalry in the Nostroman gangs and later the Night Lords for centuries. The two Night Lords and their warbands often worked alongside one another from the Horus Heresy to just before Variel's death, and both group were adept in the arts of slaughter and terror. However this did not indicate trust. Variel saw the Vulture as a useful ally and an efficient killer, but also viewed him as to ambitious and idiotic to leave alive. The Vulture in the mean time looked down on the Chaos Lord with his usual arrogance, and was eager to plunder his remaining riches when Variel disappeared into the Warp. Quotes By About Feel free to add your own! Trivia *Erinyes' Plasma Pistol is named Alecto, which just so happens to be the name of one of the three mythological Erinyes. Category:Space Marine Characters Category:Chaos Category:Chaos Space Marines Category:Night Lords Category:Characters